Reflector

ABSTRACT

A reflector such as may be used in the creation of road signs and warning signals and the like comprises the formation of a myraid of rhombic parallelograms each of which in turn has a raised surface consisting of a plurality of flat facets arranged at desirable angles with respect to one another. Three of the faceted rhombic parallelograms are grouped about a common center so as to form a six-sided hexagon. A plurality of such hexagons sufficient to cover a desired area results in a reflector of unusual light reflective capabilities.

United States Patent [191 Footchkar Mar. 26, 1974 REFLECTOR [76]Inventor: Theodore Footchkar, 5815 Market T' St Youngstown, Ohio 4 4512Assistant Examiner-Michael J. Tokar Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Webster B.l-larpman [22] Filed: Sept. 18, 1972 Appl. No.: 290,132

[52] US. Cl. 350/97, 350/103, 350/109 [51] Int. Cl. GOZb 5/12 [58] Fieldof Search 350/97-109; 404/9-l6 [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 3,450,459 6/1969 Haggerty 350/109 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 490,237 8/1938 Great Britain 350/109 972,725 2/1951 France350/103 [5 7] ABSTRACT A reflector such as may be used in the creationof road signs and warning signals and the like comprises the formationof a myraid of rhombic parallelograms each of which in turn has a raisedsurface consisting of a plurality of flat facets arranged at desirableangles with respect to one another. Three of the faceted rhombicparallelograms are grouped about a common center so as to form asix-sided hexagon. A plurality of such hexagons sufficient to cover adesired area results in a reflector of unusual light reflectivecapabilities.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures REFLECTOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1.Field of the Invention This invention relates to light reflectors inwhich a plurality of angularly arranged reflective surfaces are employedto reflect light in many directions with respect to its source.

2. Descriptionof the Prior Art Prior reflectors include triplereflectors which are grouped to form repeating geometric patternsconsisting of recurring circular groups of six triple reflectors, thegroups repeating in close order and the plan view of each groupconsisting of a six-sided figure which is a regular hexagon with oneside of the triangular base of each six triple reflectors forming a sideof the hexagon. Such a reflector is disclosed in U. S. Pat. No.2,538,638 of January 1951. Groups of hexagon shaped reflective units areseen in U. S. Pat. No. 3,450,459 of June 1969 and still other variationsof this type of reflector may be seen in U. S. Pat. Nos. 2,029.3 75 ofFebruary 1936 and 2,357,014 of June 6, 1944.

This invention changes the reflective surfaces of each of the so-calledtriple reflectors of the prior art by forming each of the reflectors asa rhombic parallelogram having a plurality of angularly disposed flatfacets so arranged as to cooperate in light reflecting abilities withother faceted rhombic parallelograms grouped therewith to form hexagonswhich in turn are part of a continuing group of such hexagons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A reflector comprising a structure having alight reflective surface formed in a plurality of recurring circulargroups of hexagon shaped elements each of which is formed of threerhombic parallelograms which in turn are provided with multipleangularly disposed facets arranged for light reflective cooperation withone another.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one of thebasic rhombic parallelograms of the reflector showing the plurality ofangular facets thereof with degree markings thereon.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a group of three of the parallelograms ofFIG. 1 arranged in a hexagon.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 isv a top plan view with parts broken away showing a portion ofreflector formed of a plurality of the hexagons of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation on lineS-S of FIG. 1 with parts broken awayand parts in cross section and FIG. 6 is a cross sectional elevation online 6-6 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the form of the inventionchosen for illustration the reflector of the invention is comprised of amultiparticular it will be seen that a small portion of such a reflectorhas been illustrated in plan view and includes a plurality ofmultifaceted parallelograms 10 arranged in a plurality of hexagons 11.Each of the parallelograms 10 has a high center ridge line 12 whichridge line is bifurcated at the opposite ends thereof to form peaks 13.The ridge line 12 and the peaks l3 divide the upper surface of each ofthe parallelograms 10 into two equal area facets 14and two unequal areafacets 15A and 15B as may best be seen by referring to FIG. 1 of thedrawings wherein a top plan view of one of the parallelograms 10 may beseen.

By referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings it will be seen that each of theparallelograms 10 is formed with its sides spaced from a horizontal lineand 30 from a vertical line with two of the peaks 13 positioned on 30angles with respect to a common vertical line so as to form the unequalarea facets 15.

In FIG. 2 of the drawings three of the parallelograms 10 of FIG. 1 areshown in circular assembly to form the hexagon 11 which in turn isrepeated in circular grouping in the complete reflector a portion ofwhich is seen in FIG. 6 of the drawings. In FIG. 2 it will be observedthat the hexagon 11 formed of the three rhombic parallelograms 10 are soformed that the unequal facets 15A are in edge to edge relation defininga common center point a which is the center point of the hexagon 11. Thereflective surfaces of the unequal area facets 15A are disposed at 55from a horizontal line or 35 from a vertical line as may be seen byreferring to the cross section taken on line 66 of FIG. 2 andillustrated in FIG. 6 of the drawings. The high ridge 12 of each of theparallelograms 10 and the abutting edge sections of the unequal areafacets 15 form triple reflective surfaces as will be observed by thoseskilled in the art while the un' equal area facets 15B reflect light inan opposite angular direction as may be seen by referring to FIG. 6wherein three of the unequal area facets 15B may be seen to bepositioned around a different common center point B and forming thecenter of a different patterned hexagon 11. It will thus be observedthat the repitition of the parallelograms 10 forms different shapedhexagons 11 depending upon the center of the three parallelograms 10that is considered. For example in FIG. 6 of the drawings the threeunequal area facets 15A are positioned about the center point A whichthen becomes the center of a first hexagon 11. By using one of the samethree parallelograms l0 and two adjacent parallelograms the unequal areafacets 158 form a common center point B of a second hexagon 11 with thefacets 15B defining triple reflective surfaces of different reflectivecapacity as compared with the unequal area facets 15A heretoforereferred to. This pattern repeats throughout a reflective surface formedof a plurality of the parallelograms l0 and their first and secondhexagons 11 as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

In other words, adjacent, contiguous surfaces 15A define one majorreflective area; adjacent, contiguous surfaces 158 define a second majorreflective area; and the adjacent, contiguous, trapezoidal surfacesdefine a third major reflective area.

In FIG. 3 of the drawings the vertical side walls of the parallelogram10 may be seen connecting with a cross section of a base 16 whichextends throughout the area of the reflector as will be understood bythose skilled in the art. In FIG. 5 of the drawings an and elevation online 55 of FIG. 1 again illustrates the vertical side walls of theparallelogram which walls are angularly disposed as seen in the top planview of FIG. 1 or the side elevation of FIG. 3 and heretofore described.The underlying portion of the base 16 is shown in cross section.

In a preferred embodiment the basic parallelogram shape as seen in FIG.1 of the drawings is preferably 0.1250 inches in length and at itswidest part is 0.036084 inches on either side of a longitudinal centerline which would correspond with the high ridge line 12 as illustrated.

It will thus be seen that a novel and highly efficient reflector hasbeen disclosed and having thus described my invention what I claim is.

l. A reflector comprising a base means, a plurality of side-by-side,juxtaposed rhombic reflector units on said base means and each havingopposite side edges, opposite end edges and a plurality of flat,differently angularly disposed light reflective surfaces outwardlyinclined from the plane of said base means, said reflective surfacesdefined at least in part by a diagonal center ridge line extendingbetween opposite corners of each rhombic reflector but spaced at itsopposite ends from said opposite corners, and a pair of peak linesextending laterally in opposite directions from each of the oppositeends of said ridge line to adjacent sides of the reflector unit, thusdefining two adjacent, different size pentagonal reflective surfaces onopposite sides of said ridge line and two trapezoidal reflectivesurfaces at opposite ends of said ridge line and between said pairs ofpeak lines, said reflector units arranged in groups of three with twoadjacent sides of each of said three reflector units contiguous with anadjacent side of each of the other two of said three reflector units,thus defining a hexagonally shaped array of said three reflector units,and other said reflector units similarly arranged in regularlyrepeating, hexagonally shaped arrays adjacent said array of said threereflector units.

2. A reflector as in claim 1, wherein the different size pentagonalreflective surfaces and the trapezoidal reflective surfaces arecontiguous with like reflective surfaces on adjacent reflector units,thus defining three different shaped major reflective areas on saidreflector.

3. A reflector as in claim 1, wherein the pentagonal reflective surfacesare larger than the trapezoidal reflective surfaces, and saidtrapezoidal reflective surfaces are equal in size to one another.

4. A reflector as in claim 1, wherein the pentagonal reflective surfacesare disposed at an angle of about seventy degrees relative to oneanother.

5. A reflector as in claim 1, wherein one of the peak lines at each endof the ridge line extends outwardly at an angle of about thirty degreesrelative to the ridge line.

6. A reflector as in claim 5, wherein the other of said peak lines ateach end of the ridge line extends at an angle of about sixty degreesrelative to the ridge line.

7. A reflector as in claim 2, wherein each of said reflector units ineach hexagonal array forms with two adjacent reflector units of adjacenthexagonal arrays a further hexagonal array of three reflector units.

1. A reflector comprising a base means, a plurality of side-byside,juxtaposed rhombic reflector units on said base means and each havingopposite side edges, opposite end edges and a plurality of flat,differently angularly disposed light reflective surfaces outwardlyinclined from the plane of said base means, said reflective surfacesdefined at least in part by a diagonal center ridge line extendingbetween opposite corners of each rhombic reflector but spaced at itsopposite ends from said opposite corners, and a pair of peak linesextending laterally in opposite directions from each of the oppositeends of said ridge line to adjacent sides of the reflector unit, thusdefining two adjacent, different size pentagonal reflective surfaces onopposite sides of said ridge line and two trapezoidal reflectivesurfaces at opposite ends of said ridge line and between said pairs ofpeak lines, said reflector units arranged in groups of three with twoadjacent sides of each of said three reflector units contiguous with anadjacent side of each of the other two of said three reflector units,thus defining a hexagonally shaped array of said three reflector units,and other said reflector units similarly arranged in regularlyrepeating, hexagonally shaped arrays adjacent said array of said threereflector units.
 2. A reflector as in claim 1, wherein the differentsize pentagonal reflective surfaces and the trapezoidal reflectivesurfaces are contiguous with like reflective surfaces on adjacentreflector units, thus defining three different shaped major reflectiveareas on said reflector.
 3. A reflector as in claim 1, wherein thepentagonal reflective surfaces are larger than the trapezoidalreflective surfaces, and said trapezoidal reflective surfaces are equalin size to one another.
 4. A reflector as in claim 1, wherein thepentagonal reflective surfaces are disposed at an angle of about seventydegrees relative to one another.
 5. A reflector as in claim 1, whereinone of the peak lines at each end of the ridge line extends outwardly atan angle of about thirty degrees relative to the ridge line.
 6. Areflector as in claim 5, wherein the other of said peak lines at eachend of the ridge line extends at an angle of about sixty degreesrelative to the ridge line.
 7. A reflector as in claim 2, wherein eachof said reflector units in each hexagonal array forms with two adjacentreflector units of adjacent hexagonal arrays a further hexagonal arrayof three reflector units.